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Pick up any of Nic Bishop’s amazing nonfiction books and you will realize it’s a gateway book. Suddenly, your world will be opened to his world of nonfiction. Bishop brings his knowledge of biology and life on earth to his books and also fills them with his own gorgeous photographs. The result is a smart and beautiful books that kids and adults alike won’t want to put down. I learn something new from all of his books and his newest title, on shelves next Tuesday, is no exception.

Nic Bishop Marsupials does not disappoint. I made the mistake of assuming it would focus only on the most well-known marsupials, like kangaroos and koalas. While these animals are mentioned, Bishop dives deeper into the world of marsupials, exposing his readers to weird and exotic marsupials that aren’t as well-known. My favorite? The numbat, which doesn’t even have a pouch like most marsupials! Bishop offers biological information on many different marsupials from all over the world but the information is in an easy to digest format. And I LOVE the formatting of the pages because it will fit in perfectly with my nonfiction unit in writing. His use of techniques like bolded letters, different colors and size fonts for important information, and his fascinating photographs will serve as prime examples in my classroom later this year!

I also enjoyed his epilogue, where Bishop explained how he researched the book and how he took the pictures. Those two pages will be great to share with my middle schoolers this year during our research unit. It’s always my goal to share with them real authors doing research for real books, to impart to them the importance of research!

Nic Bishop Marsupials is a fantastic addition to any library. I know I’ll be running out to order a few more of his titles this month when school starts!